[mavisgg]

How can I delete three outgoing emails from OE outbox (I had been sending attachments)? When I try the program ends up not responding. I deleted the Outbox.dbx file but when I restarted OE the files are still there! I also deleted the Outbox.dbx from the recycle bin but no luck. Have tried deleting them by going Offline but this doesn't work either and trying to open the message but only shows not responding. I have also shut down my computer but that doesn't work. Please help.

[throoper]

Hi mavisgg,

Are you sure you deleted the Outbox.dbx from the right Identities Message Store folder?
To make sure you are in the correct place, in OE click Tools>Options>Maintenance tab>Store folder button to see the correct address.

T.

[mavisgg]

Hello Throoper,

Many thanks for your message. I did go into Tools>Options>etc. and took down the actual long file number but when I searched for the file it could not be found and looked like I was getting it wrong. So I went into program files and deleted it from Outlook Express and it didn't work!! I will give it another try and check with you to see what I am doing wrong if I don't do it this time, if you know what I mean!! Will be back to let you know. Mavis

[mavisgg]

Hi Throoper,

Success!! Have found the file after the search keep telling me it wasn't there so I just put in the file numbers and for it to look in Documents and Settings etc. I was putting in the whole lot but would not accept like that! I am now going to right click and delete should that do the trick?

[mavisgg]

Hi Throoper,

Disaster! I tried to delete and kept getting the message that someone else was using the file and must close any files, so I closed Outlook Express and then deleted. I opened OE to check if the outbox was empty and all the folders were empty!! Can I get them back if I do Restore? I don't know how it happened, I really need all my folders I am researching my family history there are thousands of emails!

Well must get off to bed have to be up very early. Hope you can help some more.
Mavis

[throoper]

Hi Mavis,

Obviously, don't empty the Recycle bin until we can sort out what happened.
Once you opened OE, all new files may have been created and simply restoring from the Recycle bin could cause you to have a bit of a confusing mess in the Message Store.

Now the important question. What exactly did you delete? Was it by chance the entire folder instead of just the Outbox.dbx file?

To help make this easier to sort out, I'm posting the full instructions for accessing the OE Message Store folder.

You need to have Hidden files and Folders showing.
At the top of any folder(My Documents for example) click Tools>Folder Options>View tab.
Scroll down the list and place a check next to "Show Hidden Files and Folders" then click Apply and OK.

In OE
Click on Tools>Options>Maintenance tab>Store Folder.
On the Store Location box, highlight the address by pressing the Tab key on your keyboard.
Press Control+C (both at the same time) to copy the address to the clipboard.
Click Cancel on all boxes and close OE.

Click on Start>Run.
Press Control+V (both at the same time) to paste the address into the command line and click OK.
The Store Folder containing all the DBX files should open.

Now to make opening this folder easier, create a shortcut to it.
On the Toolbar, there should be an UP icon (a small folder with an arrow pointing up).
Clicking that will move you up one directory so you will see a folder named Outlook Express. Right click the Outlook Express folder and select Send to>Desktop (create shortcut). Go to the desktop and click the new shortcut to be sure it opens the folder containing the DBX files.

T.

[vicks]

Have you checked the deleted folder in OE? Usually when you delete from outbox, inbox, etc it goes into the deleted folder. I don't think you will be able to find them in the recycle bin.
vicks

[throoper]

Hi Vicks,

If I read the last post correctly, the OP was searching for the GUID folder and it sounds like it got deleted. Hopefully it is sitting in the Recycle bin.

T.

[vicks]

throoper,
OOPS!
Guess, I didn't read it correctly.
Sorry.
Vicks

[mavisgg]

Originally Posted by throoper

Hi Mavis,

Obviously, don't empty the Recycle bin until we can sort out what happened.
Once you opened OE, all new files may have been created and simply restoring from the Recycle bin could cause you to have a bit of a confusing mess in the Message Store.

Now the important question. What exactly did you delete? Was it by chance the entire folder instead of just the Outbox.dbx file?

To help make this easier to sort out, I'm posting the full instructions for accessing the OE Message Store folder.

You need to have Hidden files and Folders showing.
At the top of any folder(My Documents for example) click Tools>Folder Options>View tab.
Scroll down the list and place a check next to "Show Hidden Files and Folders" then click Apply and OK.

In OE
Click on Tools>Options>Maintenance tab>Store Folder.
On the Store Location box, highlight the address by pressing the Tab key on your keyboard.
Press Control+C (both at the same time) to copy the address to the clipboard.
Click Cancel on all boxes and close OE.

Click on Start>Run.
Press Control+V (both at the same time) to paste the address into the command line and click OK.
The Store Folder containing all the DBX files should open.

Now to make opening this folder easier, create a shortcut to it.
On the Toolbar, there should be an UP icon (a small folder with an arrow pointing up).
Clicking that will move you up one directory so you will see a folder named Outlook Express. Right click the Outlook Express folder and select Send to>Desktop (create shortcut). Go to the desktop and click the new shortcut to be sure it opens the folder containing the DBX files.

T.

Hi Throoper,

Now I don't know what I did, I thought I had deleted just the Outbox.dbx. So yes I am presuming it was the entire folder because there was nothing in any of the folders i.e. Inbox, Outbox, Send, Deleted etc. First of all it wouldn't delete the outbox.dbx so closed OE and tried again and then all went!

I have followed all your instructions to the letter and have the new shortcut on my Desktop.

I have checked in the Recycle Bin and the folder is numbered {9722EA49-086A-42FB-991A-EA8105D9527B} underneath it names all the individual email files of which there are 156 and the total capacity of all of them is 3,133,756 KBs. Does that mean I can now get them all back into OE? Will keep my fingers crossed! Can you now let me know how to get them back?
So many thanks.
Mavis

[throoper]

Hi Mavis,

That's good that you have that folder. It's as I thought that you managed to delete the entire GUID folder (the GUID is the big, long number)

This should be easy to get this back into OE.
Click the shortcut you made to open the Message Store.
Double check that the GUID number in the address is the same as the one in the Recycle bin. It should look something like this: C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{GUID}\Microsoft\Outlook Express.
If they are the same number, and only if they are the same number, make sure that OE is closed, open the Recycle bin, select the long numbered folder and click Restore. You'll get a message that some files already exist and asking if you want to replace them. Click the "Yes to all".

Open OE and hopefully it should be back to where you started.

If all your stuff is back, close OE and click the shortcut to open the Message Store folder.
Find the Outbox.dbx and delete it.
Open OE and you should have a new, empty Outbox.

Let me know how it works out for you.
If you have any questions or aren't sure of something, please ask before doing.

T.

[mavisgg]

Hello Throoper,

Wonderful worked like a dream!!! Everything back in its place and nothing in the Outbox!! So relieved I can tell you, really thought they would not come back ever. Your instructions were spot on and cannot thank you enough. I was actually saving some items to Google Mail for safe keeping when this happened but of course they were too large.

Many many thanks again, this is such a wonderful list always someone ready to help.

With my very best wishes
Mavis

[throoper]

Marvelous

I do have a suggestion for you as your mails are important to you.
You can make a quick backup of your Message Store, if you have enough free Hard drive space.
Use the shortcut to open the Message Store folder.
Click the Up icon to move up one directory so you have the Outlook Express folder showing (this is the same thing you did to create the shortcut).
Copy the Outlook Express folder either to your My Documents folder or to the Desktop. Be sure to only copy, not move.
You can move the copy to an external drive or burn it to CD for safe keeping (in case your Hard drive ever fails, you'll still have your old mail).

If you want to burn it to CD, it's over 3GB so you'll need to open the folder and burn the individual DBX files to a few CD's. If you ever need to restore from them, they will need to all be placed back into a folder together on your hard drive, so be sure to keep the CD's together.

One final note:
Don't store messages in the default folders in OE (Inbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Drafts). Delete what you don't want to keep and move everything else to folders of your own creation. Try to keep the size of the folders to 100MB or less.
Each folder you create in OE will have it's own DBX file created in the Message Store folder. More, smaller files are better. If one should corrupt or otherwise fail, you won't risk losing as much.
I highly recommend doing that before you Compact messages again. The larger the DBX file size, the more likely that Compacting can corrupt them. And yes, Compacting is necessary for the proper operation and maintenance of OE.

T.

Be sure to hang onto that shortcut. It's very handy to have.

[mavisgg]

Hi there,

Thank you for the suggestions on saving my emails and will get on doing just that. I have saved them in the past but think your ideas are excellent. I have been saving other documents to DVD but had a bit of trouble a couple of weeks ago with my Nero as when I thought I had saved my files and saying the burn was successful there was nothing on the DVD! That is how I came to save to Google Mail. I will be having another attempt with Nero, must have missed something there.

Thanks also for the advice re the default folders, must be more efficient with these. I do realise that they are far too big and should delete or save to folders as they come in. I am on many rootsweb genealogy lists so there is always lots of information on them which I think I might want later but then don't have the time to look at them again! When suggested to Compact messages I will use that as a reminder to organise them into folders or delete. I did not realise the importance of compacting so thanks for that advice too.

I will definitely hang onto the shortcut, so will be off now and get everything organised.

Again my thanks.
Regards Mavis